(East Wing-fourth floor)

A deafening silence circled within cell 411. Three thugs with a gun stood over a bed, where two aged men hid, defenseless. Sheldon could almost hear the air itself as it danced around them, whispering their impending doom.

One thug swallowed hard and then cleared his throat before he asked both men to crawl out of the bed.

Oscar faced countless life-threatening situations in his life, but all those times, he knew he had a way out, but this time, as he slowly creeped out of the bed, he felt the undeniable threat of death, that assured his and Sheldon's demise.

"Quit being an old man and move your asses out of that bed!" one of the thugs yelled.

Sheldon wanted to clarify that they were dealing with two aged men, but didn't act upon it. He was not stupid enough to provoke them into killing him before he could get the letters to his mother.

When both Oscar and Sheldon finally stood in front of the thugs, they heard one of them ask, "So what do we do now? Rudolf instructed us to find this man and wait until he comes."

Oscar did not miss the last sentence that came from the thug. What could Rudolf possibly want with him?

Just when one of the thugs turned to grab Sheldon's arm, the letters that the guard was desperately holding on to, fell on the floor.

"What the hell are those?" one of the thugs asked while pulling Sheldon away from the letters.

Sheldon was about to protest, but Oscar gave him a warning look, which the old guard luckily adhered to.

The thug bent down and picked up the letters. As he did so, the third member left the cell, in an attempt to find Rudolf and their other companions. The three thugs, named Asraf, Corbin, and Rashid are cousins who were kidnapped by a gang called Scorpion when they were just eight years old. The Scorpion gang was a group of men who were mainly involved in human trafficking.

The three cousins managed to survive the ruthless world they were subjected to, and luckily paid off their... as the gang called it-freedom fee-upon reaching the age of nineteen. These cousins came from a small village called Santa Peralta, a small town in the province of Valencia.

Their freedom did not entail a new world though, it by far defined their future. Although the cousins wanted a new life, they were too energetic and possessed a different state of mind as opposed to others. Maybe, their upbringing had something to do with it. So, the cousins went back to a life of crime, until they found themselves under the wings of Marshal and Rudolf.

What are women to them? An existence they all want to have, not only for the physical release it would provide them but because of the longing they all felt for the family they lost.

See, after they bought their freedom, they returned to their small town, only to find that their families were no longer residing there. They were also made known of their mother's death, all three of them, due to depression.

The three thugs longed for love. A partner, a woman who will value them. But who would love a human with the likes of them?

They didn't have film star good looks, matter of fact, their faces held scars from constant battles.

They were not rich, for they spent what they made- which was not much-in a matter of days. They could never live in the same place for a long time because the cops were constantly on their backs. So, who would take a man such as them?

Asraf once asked Corbin, "Can someone truly look past the physical attributes of another person?"

Corbin gave a simple answer, and that was, "No, it's probably human nature to use someone's physical appearance to gauge their personality and worth."

"Hey, can I have my letters back?" Sheldon asked, he made sure that his tone was not offending or demanding in any way. He feared that the thugs will decide to destroy the letters if he pissed them off.

Rashid, the man who held the letters asked, "Are these written by you?"

Sheldon shook his head and attempted to explain, but the thug had already begun reading through the letter. After a few minutes, the renegade stared at Sheldon and asked, "Who is Maria?"

Sheldon looked away and didn't give a reply, but the thug walked up to him and jerked his arm, forcing Sheldon to face the young man.

"She's my mother, and I don't see why you would want to know that," Sheldon answered angrily.

"Whose the letter from?" Corbin, one of the two renegades questioned.

Oscar cleared his throat and interjected, "I don't see the relevance of this, either you kill us or let us leave."

Corbin glanced at his cousin and whispered, "Why did you ask anyway? I mean, the old man is right."

"Curiosity," his cousin answered whilst flipping one Letter in the air.

"That's it?" Corbin asked.

In that brief moment, Oscar was contemplating whether to make a run for it, since the cell was wide open and he was standing just a meter from the door, or tackle one of the thugs while he takes their gun.

"I don't know, this whole thing is messed up. I want to think of something else! We were supposed to be in and out. That's the price they paid. A one-hour job, but look at us. We're trapped like a bunch of mice!" Rashid screamed.

Corbin took a step back and narrowed his brow before he questioned his cousin about what he meant by that."

Rashid snorted and replied, "This-while spreading his arms on both sides-was not what they paid us for."

Corbin, feeling lost and confused by his cousin, retorted, "What the hell are you blabbering about? I was asking about the letter."

"Frustration," Sheldon sneered before Rashid could give a reply to his cousin.

The word earned Sheldon a punch on the stomach by the thug. He fell to the floor and listened, as the frustrated man squabbled with his cousin.

Oscar took the situation as an opportunity. He grabbed Corbin's arm and yanked him towards the wall. The man, surprised by the attack took some time to regain his footing, but before he could do anything, Rashid's body collided with his own, which was already plastered to the wall.

Sheldon and Oscar immediately took the renegade's guns along with the letters and ran out of the prison cell.

When the duo disappeared from their sight, the cousins decided not to go after them. "This is too much of a headache," Rashid whispered, before pulling himself away from Corbin. The two sat on the bed, wondering what was holding Asraf from coming back. The man said he will return as soon as he delivered the news to Rudolf.

It was a full minute before Rashid noticed a paper on the foot of the bed. He bent down and picked it up.

The first words were similar to the ones in the letter that the guard took from him.

"What the hell is that?" Corbin questioned when he saw Rashid holding a paper in his hand.

His cousin gazed at him, smiled, and whispered, "This is a love letter."

If Corbin had the heart to punch his cousin, he would. Out of the three, Rashid longed to find... as his cousin quoted, true love. The guy kept trying for a normal relationship with a bunch of women, women who only saw him, either as a past-time, sugar daddy, or a fool who would run to them whenever they needed his help.

None of Rashid's relationships ended without him, crying like a child in front of his cousins. Rashid was one of those that people called, hopeless romantic. Yet, Corbin couldn't help but praise his cousin, because even when he kept failing, his effort to find a woman who was willing to settle down with him never faltered. Rashid made it clear to them, that when he finds the right one, he will leave the criminal world and start a new life.

"I'm gonna read this, you go check on Asraf," Rashid requested. Corbin could only shake his head. He left the cell and headed down to the first floor.

"Maria, Rashid murmured, before he began to read the letter.
***

Dear Maria,

Today I was brought to the infirmary. I experienced crippling pain inside my chest hours ago. It was so painful, that they had to make me see a doctor. I thought it was one of those psychological things again, but unfortunately, it was not. I had a heart attack. I guess I'm getting old, or maybe, my heart is just tired.

They gave me a bunch of pills to take daily and a personal menu made just for me. Can you imagine that? I guess it made me feel special.

I miss you. I think about you all the time.

I hope you chose a place where no one will find you.

Did you know how I loathed your In-laws Maria? I hated them more than I hated your husband. I wish I could have killed them sooner But I couldn't. Do you know why?

Do you remember when your in-laws came to visit for Sheldon's fourth birthday?

I saw everything that day, Maria. I saw how they truly treated you. A bunch of pretentious animals! That's what they were.

Maria, why did you endure everything? Was it because of your husband? Did you love him that much? You could have told someone Maria. You could have informed your uncle.

I never understood why you allowed them to treat you like dirt.

I remembered pretending as a clown during Sheldon's birthday party. Don't ask me how I managed to get the job.

Anyway, your husband and his family were outside, some visitors were in the living room while others gathered in the garden. Everyone was laughing and having fun, but you were nowhere to be found. I heard one of the guests questioning your in-laws, why they haven't seen you at all, and those animals said you were too busy in the kitchen.

I went past the crowd and pretended to ask for the bathroom, but in truth, I went searching for you.

I found you, but not in the kitchen. You were busy, but not because you were cooking. I found you inside the garage, I saw you from the window. You were busy washing your husband's car. You were clothed in a rather unusual-looking dress. It looked more like a rag than a dress. It had holes in the hem and the black color was too faded, one would think, it belonged to someone ages ago.

Maria? What were you doing?

Weren't you supposed to be the lady of the house? Why were you so underdressed? Why weren't you in the living room chatting with the guests?

After the party, everyone left and your two kids were ushered inside their grandparent's family wagon, but Valerie was asked to sit in the back along with their luggage. I saw how indifferent they were to her.

They left you alone with the other maids to clean up after everything.

Why Maria?

I couldn't accept what you have become, and what you were reduced to. It pained me a lot.

But if I killed them right there. The cops might come after you. Do you want to know why I said so? It's because your mother-in-law always said-if anything happened to them, it would be your doing.

I had to endure. I had to wait until the day you decided to leave.

All I was waiting for was for you to say you've had enough. All I ever needed was to hear the words-I give up, and I shall make my move.

But as I waited for that decision, things only got worst for you.

I'm sorry. I can't continue with this right now. Let me tell you everything I know in the next letter.

Merry Christmas! They gave me a single loaf of bread today. Just a single loaf, the warden is not around, so, no party for the prisoners. Are you celebrating too? Are you happy?

Love Forever.

Your Silent Knight.